Allen Fox
Encyclopedia
Dr. Allen E. Fox is a former tennis player in the 1960s and 1970s who went on to be a college coach and author. He was ranked as high as # 4 in the U.S. (in 1962). Between 1961 and 1968, he ranked among the top 10 men in the U.S. five times.
, and played tennis for the school.
In 1960, he teamed up with Larry Nagler to capture the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) doubles title for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/ In 1961, as team captain, Fox won the NCAA singles title.http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/ During his college career, Fox lost only two dual matches. "One was to Rafael Osuna
and the other was to Chuck McKinley
," he said. He was a three-time All-American (1959–61), and also earned All-UCLA and All-University of California
Athlete of the Year honors, which are presented to the Best Scholar-Athlete.http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/ Fox helped lead UCLA to NCAA team championships in 1960 and 1961.
He was one of Arthur Ashe's
closest friends during Ashe's freshman year, when Fox was a senior. Fox is Jewish. As Ashe put it, "In those days, to be Jewish in the top ranks of tennis was to encounter a certain amount of prejudice." Fox graduated from UCLA with a B.A.
in physics
in 1961, and later earned a Ph.D.
there in psychology
.http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/
When he graduated, Fox was the 4th-ranked singles player in the United States. He won the singles title at Cincinnati
in 1961. He won also the 1962 US National Hard Court title. That year, he reached the singles final in Cincinnati, falling to Marty Riessen
. In 1965 he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
.
He won the Canadian Nationals
in 1966. That year Fox also won the (40th annual) Mercedes-Benz Cup, formerly known as the Pacific Southwest Championships, when he was a graduate student, beating the then-current champions of all four majors – Manuel Santana
aka "Manolo" Santana, Fred Stolle
, Tony Roche
, and Roy Emerson
in the finals. Fox rode his motorcycle each day from UCLA to the Los Angeles Tennis Club.
In his career, Fox defeated many of the world's top-ranked players, including Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors
, Stan Smith
, and John Newcombe
.
. He is one of a number Jewish tennis players who won gold medals at the Maccabiah Games, including among others Julie Heldman
, Dick Savitt
, and Steve Krulevitz
. Four years later, he was back at the 1969 Maccabiah Games
as the top seed, and again won the gold medal.
team in 1961, 1962, and 1966. He played 2 singles matches, winning both of them without giving up more than 2 games in any of the 6 sets that he played.
He was inducted into the Southern California
Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2002. Fox was also inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
men’s tennis team, at the highest level-Division 1, for 17 years. His teams, which included Brad Gilbert
, reached the NCAA finals twice, the semifinals three times, and the quarterfinals six times. In his career, he coached his teams to a 368–108 won-lost record between 1979 and 1995; the .778 winning percentage is the best in Pepperdine tennis history. He was named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame and, aside from Gilbert, coached players such as Robbie Weiss
(NCAA singles winner), Kelly Jones (NCAA doubles winner and world No. 1 doubles player), and Martin Laurendeau
(Captain of the Canadian Davis Cup Team).
Allen has also made videos, entitled Allen Fox's Ultimate Tennis Lessons and Allen Fox's Ultimate Tennis Drills.
Tennis career
Fox attended Beverly Hills High SchoolBeverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
, and played tennis for the school.
In 1960, he teamed up with Larry Nagler to capture the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) doubles title for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/ In 1961, as team captain, Fox won the NCAA singles title.http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/ During his college career, Fox lost only two dual matches. "One was to Rafael Osuna
Rafael Osuna
Rafael Osuna Herrera is the most successful tennis player in the history of Mexico. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and is best remembered for his singles victory at the U.S. Open Championships in 1963, winning Wimbledon Doubles championships twice, the U.S...
and the other was to Chuck McKinley
Chuck McKinley
Charles Robert "Chuck" McKinley Jr. was an American men’s amateur tennis player of the 1960s. He is remembered as an undersized, hard working dynamo, whose relentless effort and competitive spirit led American tennis to the top of the sport during a period heavily dominated by Australians.McKinley...
," he said. He was a three-time All-American (1959–61), and also earned All-UCLA and All-University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
Athlete of the Year honors, which are presented to the Best Scholar-Athlete.http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/ Fox helped lead UCLA to NCAA team championships in 1960 and 1961.
He was one of Arthur Ashe's
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
closest friends during Ashe's freshman year, when Fox was a senior. Fox is Jewish. As Ashe put it, "In those days, to be Jewish in the top ranks of tennis was to encounter a certain amount of prejudice." Fox graduated from UCLA with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
in 1961, and later earned a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
there in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/about/
When he graduated, Fox was the 4th-ranked singles player in the United States. He won the singles title at Cincinnati
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
in 1961. He won also the 1962 US National Hard Court title. That year, he reached the singles final in Cincinnati, falling to Marty Riessen
Marty Riessen
Marty Riessen played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as No. 11 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings...
. In 1965 he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
.
He won the Canadian Nationals
Canada Masters
The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...
in 1966. That year Fox also won the (40th annual) Mercedes-Benz Cup, formerly known as the Pacific Southwest Championships, when he was a graduate student, beating the then-current champions of all four majors – Manuel Santana
Manuel Santana
Manuel Martínez Santana, best known as Manolo Santana, is a former tennis champion from Spain. He was born in Madrid....
aka "Manolo" Santana, Fred Stolle
Fred Stolle
Frederick "Fred" Sydney Stolle is an Australian tennis player. He was born in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia. He is the father of former Australian Davis Cup player Sandon Stolle....
, Tony Roche
Tony Roche
Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles. He is also very well known for coaching...
, and Roy Emerson
Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. His 28 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record for a male...
in the finals. Fox rode his motorcycle each day from UCLA to the Los Angeles Tennis Club.
In his career, Fox defeated many of the world's top-ranked players, including Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
, Stan Smith
Stan Smith
Stanley Roger "Stan" Smith is a former American tennis player and two time Grand Slam singles champion who also, with his partner Bob Lutz, formed one of the most successful doubles teams of all time. Together, they won many major titles all over the world...
, and John Newcombe
John Newcombe
John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...
.
Maccabiah Games
Fox won a gold medal at the 1965 Maccabiah Games1965 Maccabiah Games
Twenty-five nations send 1,200 athletes to compete in 21 sports at the 7th Maccabiah Games in 1965.First-time Maccabiah Games flags belonged to Iran, Jamaica, Peru, and Venezuela....
. He is one of a number Jewish tennis players who won gold medals at the Maccabiah Games, including among others Julie Heldman
Julie Heldman
Julie Heldman is a retired American tennis player who won 22 professional tennis titles.In 1969 she was World No. 5, her highest career world ranking, and was ranked No. 2 in the U.S.-Tennis career:...
, Dick Savitt
Dick Savitt
Richard "Dick" Savitt is a 6’ 3" and 185-pound right-handed American male former tennis player.Savitt was ranked 2nd in the world in 1951. That year, at the age of 24, he won both the Wimbledon Singles Championship and the Australian Singles title...
, and Steve Krulevitz
Steve Krulevitz
Steve Krulevitz is an American/Israeli right-handed tennis player. His highest singles ranking was # 42.For over a decade he competed on the Professional Grand Prix Tennis Circuit...
. Four years later, he was back at the 1969 Maccabiah Games
1969 Maccabiah Games
At the 8th Maccabiah Games in 1969, 1,450 athletes from 27 countries competed in 22 sports.Germany and Greece sent teams for the first time since the 1935 Games.A new swimming pool was dedicated at Yad Eliyahu.American swimmer Mark Spitz won 6 gold medals....
as the top seed, and again won the gold medal.
Davis Cup
He was named to the U.S. Davis CupDavis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
team in 1961, 1962, and 1966. He played 2 singles matches, winning both of them without giving up more than 2 games in any of the 6 sets that he played.
Halls of Fame
Fox was elected to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame as a player and a coach in 1988. In 1991, he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.He was inducted into the Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2002. Fox was also inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
Coaching
Fox coached the Pepperdine UniversityPepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
men’s tennis team, at the highest level-Division 1, for 17 years. His teams, which included Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School ....
, reached the NCAA finals twice, the semifinals three times, and the quarterfinals six times. In his career, he coached his teams to a 368–108 won-lost record between 1979 and 1995; the .778 winning percentage is the best in Pepperdine tennis history. He was named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame and, aside from Gilbert, coached players such as Robbie Weiss
Robbie Weiss
Robbie Weiss is a former tour professional tennis player and NCAA Division 1 singles champion. The resident of Atlanta, GA achieved a career-high ATP ranking in singles of World No. 85, which he reached on the heels of winning his only ATP Tour event, the 1990 Sao Paulo Grand Prix...
(NCAA singles winner), Kelly Jones (NCAA doubles winner and world No. 1 doubles player), and Martin Laurendeau
Martin Laurendeau
Martin Laurendeau is a former touring professional tennis player, and present coach and captain of the Canadian Davis Cup team....
(Captain of the Canadian Davis Cup Team).
Writing and videos
After working as a broadcaster, Fox became a writer and a lecturer. Fox has authored several books, including Think to Win: The Strategic Dimension of Tennis (1993), If I'm The Better Player, Why Can't I Win?, and his most recent book The Winner's Mind: A Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success. He is also a former editor of Tennis Magazine.Allen has also made videos, entitled Allen Fox's Ultimate Tennis Lessons and Allen Fox's Ultimate Tennis Drills.